Everything about Alanya totally explained
Alanya (pronounced ) is a seaside resort city and district of
Antalya Province in the
Mediterranean region of Turkey, from the city of
Antalya. The municipal district, which includes the city center, has close to . The population is almost entirely of
Anatolian origin, but is home to almost residents, with a growing presence in the city and its economy.
Because of its natural strategic position on a small peninsula into the
Mediterranean Sea below the
Taurus Mountains, Alanya has been a local stronghold for many
Mediterranean-based empires, including the
Ptolemaic,
Roman,
Byzantine, and
Ottoman Empires. Alanya's greatest political importance came in the
Middle Ages with the
Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm under the rule of
Alaeddin Keykubad I, from whom the city derives its name. His building campaign resulted in many of the city's landmarks, such as the
Kızıl Kule (Red Tower), Tersane (Shipyard), and
Alanya Castle.
The relatively moderate
Mediterranean climate, natural attractions, and historic heritage makes Alanya a popular destination for tourism, and responsible for nine percent of
Turkey's tourism sector and thirty percent of
foreign purchases of real estate in Turkey. Tourism has risen since 1958 to become the dominant industry in the city, resulting in a corresponding increase in city population. Warm-weather sporting events and cultural festivals take place annually in Alanya.
Mayor Hasan Sipahioğlu of the
Motherland Party has led the city since 1999.
Names
The city has changed hands many times over the centuries, and its name has reflected this. Alanya was first known in
Latin as
Coracesium or in
Greek as
Korakesion from the
Luwian Korakassa meaning "point/protruding city".
History
Although first fortified in the
Hellenistic period following the area's conquest by
Alexander the Great, the castle rock was likely inhabited under the
Hittites and the
Persian Empire. Finds in the nearby Kadrini cave indicate occupation during the
Paleolithic era as far back as . A
Phoenician language tablet found in the district dates to, and the city is specifically mentioned in the 4th-century BC Greek geography manuscript, the
periplus of Pseudo-Scylax.
Alexander's successors left the area to
Ptolemy I Soter after . His dynasty maintained loose control over the mainly
Isaurian population, and the port became a popular refuge for Mediterranean
pirates. The city resisted
Antiochus III the Great of the neighboring
Seleucid kingdom in, but was loyal to the pirate
Diodotus Tryphon when he seized the Seleucid crown from 142 to . His rival
Antiochus VII Sidetes completed work in on a new castle and port, begun under Diodotus Tryphon.
The
Roman Republic fought
Cilician pirates in, when
Marcus Antonius the Orator established a
proconsulship in nearby
Side, and in under
Servilius Vatia, who moved on the Isaurian tribes. The period of piracy in Alanya finally ended after the city's incorporation into the
Pamphylia province by
Pompey in, with the
Battle of Korakesion fought in the city's harbor. Isaurian banditry remained an issue under the Romans, and the tribes revolted in the forth and fifth centuries AD, with the largest rebellion being from 404 to 408. After the
Roman Empire's
collapse and split, the city remained under
Byzantine influence, becoming a
suffragan of
Side, in the
metropolis of Pamphylia Prima. The area fell from Byzantine control after the
Battle of Manzikert in 1071 to tribes of
Seljuk Turks, only to be returned in 1120 by
John II Komnenos.
Following the
Fourth Crusade, the Christian
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia periodically held the port, and it was from an Armenian,
Kir Fard, that the Turks took lasting control in 1221 when the Anatolian Seljuk Sultan
Alaeddin Keykubad I captured it, assiging the former ruler, whose daughter he married, to the governance of the city of
Akşehir. Seljuk rule saw the golden age of the city, and it can be considered the winter capital of their empire. Building projects, including the
twin citadel, city walls, arsenal, and
Kızıl Kule, made it an important seaport for western Mediterranean trade, particularly with
Ayyubid Egypt and the
Italian city-states. Alaeddin Keykubad I also constructed numerous gardens and
pavilions outside the walls, and many of his works can still be found in the city. These were likely financed by his own treasury and by the local
emirs, and constructed by the
contractor Abu 'Ali al-Kattani al-Halabi.
At the
Battle of Köse Dağ in 1242, the
Mongol hordes broke the Seljuk hegemony in
Anatolia. Alanya was then subject to a series of invasions from
Anatolian Turkish Beyliks. In 1293, the
Karamanoğlu dynasty took control after Mecdüddin Mahmud conquered the city, but their rule was intermittent.
Lusignans from
Cyprus briefly overturned the then ruling
Hamidoğlu Beylik in 1371. The Karamanoğlu sold the city in 1427 for 5,000 gold coins to the
Mamluks of Egypt for a period before the general
Gedik Ahmed Pasha in 1471 incorporated it into the growing
Ottoman Empire. The city was made a capital of a local
sanjak in the
eyalet of Içel. The Ottomans extended their rule in 1477 when they brought the main shipping trade,
lumber, then mostly done by
Venetians, under the
government monopoly.
Trade in the region was negatively impacted by the development of an oceanic route from Europe around Africa to India, and in the tax registers of the late sixteenth century, Alanya failed to qualify as an urban center. In 1571 the Ottomans designated the city as part of the newly conquered
province of Cyprus.
After World War I, Alanya was nominally
partitioned in the 1917
Agreement of St.-Jean-de-Maurienne to
Italy, before returning to the
Turkish Republic in 1923 under the
Treaty of Lausanne. Like others in this region, the city suffered heavily following
the war and the
population exchanges that heralded the Turkish Republic, when many of the city's Christians resettled in
Nea Ionia, outside
Athens. The Ottoman census of 1893 listed the number of
Greeks in the city at out of a total population of . Tourism in the region started among
Turks who came to Alanya in the 1960s for the alleged healing properties of Damlataş Cave, and later the access provided by
Antalya Airport in 1998 allowed the town to grow into an international resort. Strong population growth through the 1990s was a result of immigration to the city, and has driven a rapid modernization of the infrastructure. From west to east, the municipality is bordered by the
Manavgat district along the coast, the mountainous
Gündoğmuş in-land,
Hadım and
Taşkent in the
Province of Konya,
Sarıveliler in the
Province of Karaman, and the coastal
Gazipaşa, with which Alanya shares an airport. Manavgat is home to the ancient cities of
Side and
Selge.
The Pamphylia plain between the sea and the mountains is an isolated example of an
Eastern Mediterranean conifer-sclerophyllous-broadleaf forest, which include
Lebanon Cedar, evergreen scrub, fig trees, and black pine. The Alanya
Massif refers to the area of
metamorphic rocks east of
Antalya. This formation is divided into three
nappes from lowest to highest, the Mahmutlar, the Sugözü, and the Yumrudağ. The similar lithology extends beneath the city in a tectonic window.
Bauxite, an aluminum ore, is common to the area north of city, and can be mined.
The town is divided east–west by a rocky
peninsula, which is the distinctive feature of the city. The harbor, city center, and Keykubat Beach, named after the Sultan
Alaeddin Keykubad I, are on the east side of the peninsula. Damlataş Beach, named for the famous "dripping caves", and
Cleopatra Beach are to the west. The name
Cleopatra Beach possibly derives from either the
Ptolemaic princess' visit here or the area's inclusion in her dowry from
Mark Antony. Atatürk Bulvarı, the main boulevard, runs parallel to the sea, and divides the southern, much more touristic side of Alanya from the northern, more native side, that extends north into the mountains. Çevre Yolu Caddesi, another major road, encircles the main town to the north.
Climate
Alanya has a relatively moderate
continental Mediterranean climate. The
Mediterranean Basin ensures that most rain comes during the winter, leaving the summers long, hot, and dry, prompting the Alanya board of Tourism to use the slogan "where the sun smiles". Storm cells sometime bring with them fair weather
waterspouts when close to the shore. The presence of the Taurus Mountain in close proximity to the sea causes fog, in turn creating visible rainbows many mornings. The height of the mountains creates an interesting effect as
snow can often be seen on them even on hot days in the city below. The sea at Alanya has an average temperature of 70.5°F (21.4°C) annually, with an average August temperature of 82.2°F (27.9°C).
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 59 (15) |
60 (16) |
62 (17) |
68 (20) |
75 (24) |
80 (27) |
86 (30) |
87 (31) |
84 (29) |
77 (25) |
69 (21) |
62 (17) |
71 (22)
|
| Average low °F (°C) | 44 (7) |
44 (7) |
48 (9) |
51 (11) |
59 (15) |
64 (18) |
69 (21) |
69 (21) |
66 (19) |
59 (15) |
53 (12) |
48 (9) |
55 (13)
|
| Rainfall in. (mm) | 8.9 (227) |
6.8 (172) |
4.2 (106) |
2.5 (64) |
1.4 (36) |
0.3 (8) |
0.1 (3) |
0.2 (5) |
0.4 (10) |
3.2 (80) |
6.7 (171) |
8.8 (224) |
43.5 (1105)
|
Source: Weatherbase |
Architecture
On the peninsula stands
Alanya Castle, a
Seljuk era citadel dating from 1226. Most major landmarks in the city are found inside and around the castle. The current castle was built over existing fortifications and served the double purpose of a palace of local government and as a defensive structure in case of attack. In 2007, the city began renovating various sections of the castle area, including adapting a Byzantine church for use as a Christian community center. Inside the castle is the Süleymaniye
mosque and
caravanserai, built by
Suleiman the Magnificent. The last of Alanya Castle's, the octagonal structure specifically protected the Tersane (
arsenal), it remains one of the finest examples of medieval military architecture. The Tersane, a medieval
drydock built by the Seljuk Turks in 1221, , is divided into five vaulted bays with equilateral pointed
arches.
Atatürk's House and Museum, from his short stay in the city on
February 18,
1935 is preserved in its historic state and is a good example of the interior of a traditional Ottoman villa, with artifacts from the 1930s. The house was built between 1880 and 1885 in the "karniyarik" (stuffed eggplant) style. Bright colors and red roofs are often mandated by neighborhood councils, and give the modern town a pastel glow. Housed in a 1967 Republican era building, The Alanya Museum is inland from Damlataşh Beach. With its rich architectural heritage, Alanya is a member of the
Norwich-based
European Association of Historic Towns and Regions.
Demographics
, of which
European expatriates, about half of them from
Germany and
Denmark. 17,850 total foreigners own property in Alanya. During the summer the population increases due to large numbers of tourists, about each year pass through the city. As of 2006, claim residence in Alanya while working abroad.
The town is near 99%
Muslim, and although many ancient
churches can be found in the city, there are no regular
Christian services. In 2006, a
German language protestant church with seasonal service opened with much fanfare, after receiving permission to do so in 2003, a sign of the growing European population in the city. The town provides the Atatürk Cultural Center to Christian groups on a regular basis for larger religious ceremonies.
Israeli tourists, often from
cruise ships, constitute the
Jewish population. These are occasionally the targets of discrimination, particularly at times of high tension, such as the
2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, when a shopkeeper denied Israelis entry.
Education and health
The city has 95%
literacy, with
public,
private, and
Imam Hatip schools, and a roughly .
In 2005,
Akdeniz University of
Antalya launched the Alanya Faculty of Business, as a
satellite campus that focuses on the tourism industry. The school hosts an International Tourism Conference annually in coordination with
Buckinghamshire New University.
Georgetown University operates an annual
study abroad program for American students known as the
McGhee Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies, named for the
United States Ambassador to Turkey from 1952–53
George C. McGhee, and based in his villa.
Başkent University Medical and Research Center of Alanya, a
teaching hospital run by
Başkent University in
Ankara is one of nineteen hospitals in Alanya. Other major hospitals include the 300-bed Alanya State Hospital and the 90-bed Private Hayat Hospital.
Culture
Alanya's culture is a subculture of the larger
Culture of Turkey. The city's seaside position is central to many annual festivals. These include the Tourism and Art Festival, which marks the opening of the tourism season from at the end of May or beginning of June. At the opposite end of the season, the Alanya International Culture and Art Festival is held in the first week of October, and is a notable
Turkish festival. Other regular festivals include the Alanya Jazz Festival, which has been held in the first week of September since 2002 at the
Kızıl Kule, which is otherwise home to the municipal
ethnographic museum. The Jazz Festival hosts Turkish
jazz musicians in a series of free concerts. European residents of Alanya also often celebrate their national holidays, such as
Norwegian Constitution Day.
The Alanya Chamber Orchestra, formed of members of the Antalya State Opera and Ballet, gave its inaugural performance on
December 7,
2007. The International Alanya Stone Sculpture Symposium, begun is 2004, is held over the month of November.
Atatürk's Visit to Alanya is also celebrated on the visit's anniversary each
February 18, centered on Atatürk's House and Museum. The Alanya Museum is home to
archaeology found in and around the city, including a large bronze
Hercules statue, ceramics, and Roman limestone
ossuaries, as well as historic copies of the
Qur'an.
Government
Alanya was set up as a municipality in 1872, electing its
first mayor in 1901. Today, Alanya is governed by a mayor and a municipality council made up of 25 members; 13 are from the centre-right
Motherland Party, which has maintained local loyalty despite its national disintegration, six members are of the current government's
Justice and Development Party, three members of the centre-left
Republican People's Party, two of the other centre-right
True Path Party, and one independent. Mayor Hasan Sipahioğlu is also of the Motherland Party.
Elections are held every five years, with the next to be held in 2009.
Alanya District is divided up into, including the city center, and . Alanya is greatly influenced by the provincial government in Antalya, and the federal government in
Ankara, which appoints a
governor for the district, currently Dr. Hulusi Doğan. Although Alanya has been part of
Antalya Province since the Ottoman Empire, many local politicians have advocated a separate Alanya Province. Nationally, in the
2007 election, the province voted with the Justice and Development Party, who were followed closely by the Republican People's Party and the True Path Party. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, of the Justice and Development Party, is the only native Alanyalilar
Member of Parliament representing Antalya Province in the
Grand National Assembly, where he chairs the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population.
Economy
The tourist industry in Alanya is worth just under, and is therefore the principal industry. About 80,000 tonnes of
citrus fruits were produced in 2006 across . The
greengage plum and the
avocado are increasingly popular early season fruits where citrus fruits are becoming unprofitable.
Despite the seaside location, few residents make their living on the sea, and fishing isn't a major industry. In the early 1970s, when fish stocks ran low, a system of rotating access was developed to preserve this sector. In 2007, locals protested the establishment of some larger chain
supermarkets and clothing stores, which have opened branches in Alanya. Damlataş Cave, which originally sparked the arrival of outsiders because of the cave's
microclimate, with an average temperature of and, is accessible on the west side of the peninsula with trails from Damlataş Beach. Many tourists, especially
Scandinavians,
Germans,
Russians, and
Dutch, regularly vacation in Alanya during the
warmer months. They are drawn to the area because of property prices, warm weather, sandy beaches, access to
Antalya's historic sites, and fine
cuisine. Other outdoor tourist activities include
wind surfing,
parasailing,
banana boating and Turkey's largest
go-kart track.
Beginning in 2003, with the provisional elimination of restrictions on
land purchases by non-nationals, the housing industry in the city has become highly profitable with many new private homes and condominiums being built for European and Asian part-time residents. This in turn has put pressure on the city's many
gecekondu houses and establishments as property values rise and property sales to locals fall. A height restriction in the city limits most buildings to . This keeps high rise hotels to the east and west of the city, preserving the central skyline at the expense of greater tourist potential. The fringes of the city however have seen uncontrolled expansion.
For various reasons, tourist seasons after 2005 have been disappointing for Alanya's industry. Among the reasons blamed were increased
PKK violence, the
H5N1 bird flu found in
Van, and the
Mohammad cartoon controversy. Alanya officials have responded with a variety of publicity initiatives, including baking the world's longest cake on
April 26,
2006, a
Guinness World Record. The economy has also suffered due to investment in more than properties.
Media
Alanya has 10 local daily newspapers. The free regional newspaper, Riviera News, is printed in English and is widely available in Alanya.
Five radio stations broadcast from the city. Other stations include Alanya RadyoTime on 92.3 FM, which broadcasts a variety of Turkish music, news, and talk programming. Two television stations are local to Alanya, Kanal Alanya, and Alanya Televizyonu, abbreviated ATV, which is partnered with Alanya RadyoTime.
Transportation
The D400
Turkish Highway, the Alanya-Mersin Route, connects Alanya from the east and west, encircling it, and connectin through the city center via Atatürk Bulvarı. The D695, the Ankara-Akşehir Route, runs north-south and reaches the sea west of the city near
Side, connecting with the D400.
Antalya Airport, is away and connects internationally. The still unopened local
Antalya Gazipaşa Airport, completed in 1999, is only from the city, and is constructing an international terminal. The international terminal will be completed by August 2008. No train routes go to Alanya or
Antalya Province, and there are no train stations in the district.
There are bus and
dolmuş systems out of Alanya's two bus depots, but buses are usually limited to the major roads, and inside the city transportation is by car, taxi, or foot, as many roads in the old town are closed to traffic. The harbor includes cruise ship piers, and also seasonal
ferries and
hydrofoils depart for
Kyrenia in the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Further west of the city is the Alanya Yacht Harbor, a
marina, which started services in 2008. The maria allowed Alanya to participate in the 2008 Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally.
Sports
Alanya is home to a
woman's basketball team, Alanya Belediye, which started in the
first division but was relegated after the 2002 season. The city hosts a
second level soccer team,
Alanyaspor, although soccer fans in the city are mostly divided between the
three major Istanbul teams. The club was founded in 1948, and play home games at Milli Egemenlik Stadium. In 2007, the city began constructing a new soccer facility with the intention of hosting winter competitions between major teams. The public Alanya Municipality Sports Facility is located adjacent to Milli Egemenlik Stadium, which is one of thirteen facilities.
Alanya is perhaps more famous for the annual
triathlon, part of the World Triathlon Series, held every October, and for the city's role as host of The Turkish Open, part of the
Nestea European
Beach Volleyball championship tour, which takes place in May. In 2007, the
Turkish Volleyball Federation persuaded the
European Volleyball Confederation to build a beach volleyball training facility in Alanya, and make it the exclusive "center of beach volleyball in Europe". The city is also a frequent host to national events, such as the annual beach
handball tournament, and the finish of the seven-day Presidency
Cycling Tour of Turkey. Other cycling events include the Alanya International Mountain Bike Race. Additionally, the
European Cycling Union will have its 2010 European road cycling championship and 2010 ordinary congress meeting in Alanya.
Sister cities
Since making agreements with
Talsi,
Trakai, and
Keszthely in 2006, Alanya increased its number of
sister cities to eight, seven of which are located within the
European Union. In 2005 Alanya applied with
Sister Cities International for an additional sister city from the United States. The most significant tie is with the city of
Nea Ionia, where many of Alanya's Christians were
resettled in 1923 after the
Treaty of Lausanne.
Soccer teams from sister cities
Wodzisław Śląski and
Schwechat have also come to train and scrimmage in Alanya. Wodzisław, Schwechat,
Gladbeck,
Fushun, and Alanya form a "family" in that each is partnered with the others.
Further Information
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